The Cat in the (Sorting) Hat
by wisegirlgranger
Summary: What does an animagus do when they're sick? Sneak into the Headmaster's office and take a nap, of course. Drabble


**HAPPY NEW YEAR! Here's a little drabble for you guys. I was actually inspired to write it after seeing a tumblr post about McGonagall as a cat and getting into trouble. I couldn't find the post later on, though, so I'm not entirely sure who made it. I may make this into a mini-series later on, if I get another idea or something.**

 **It's been a while since I wrote HP fanfiction, so please review :)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Dedication:** **HecateA, because she is an absolutely amazing author. Also, because I goofed up and reviewed the same story twice without realizing it. Sorry!**

* * *

 _October 16, 1993_

Minerva McGonagall was sick. She woke up with a stuffy nose and massive headache, shivering despite the fire she had going in the corner. There was a cold spreading around amongst the students, and a tiny first year (Dennis Creevey) had sneezed on her on his way to the hospital ward the day before. She must have caught it from him.

Minerva groaned and got out of bed. The clock on the wall read _4:15 am_ \- far too early to be awake on a Saturday. But her room was much to cold to sleep in, the sheets were scratchy, and she could hear Mrs. Norris walking (actually, stomping) around just outside her door. Besides, it was nearly impossible to sleep with the pounding in her sinuses. She put her spectacles and dressing robe on, and decided to go for a walk. Hopefully, it would clear her head enough to avoid Madame Pomfrey's Pepper-Up Potion in the morning (Poppy had a nasty habit of adding far too much pepper, which made Minerva look far scarier than normal when smoke came out of her ears).

The corridors were drafty, colder than her room. So much for getting warm. Still, Minerva did not want to go back to sleep, so she kept walking until she reached the Gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office. There would not be anyone inside, as Albus had mentioned that he would be visiting his brother in Hogsmeade that weekend. "Lemon Drops," she croaked. The doors swung open.

Fawkes the Phoenix eyed her wearily from his perch in the corner. Ever since she chased him around the quidditch pitch the day after she got her Animagus license, the bird had shown his disdain for her by leaving little "presents" near her belongings. She ignored him, but silently wished for him to burst into flames.

Minerva noticed the room was much warmer than the rest of the castle, despite the fact that there was no fireplace. She strongly suspected magical intervention for the temperature, and made a mental note to ask Albus for the spell later. She closed the door, and sat down in an armchair behind the headmaster's desk. Armando Dippet, the headmaster from her times at Hogwarts, shook his head at her from his portrait. Dylis Derwent took one look at her and told her to leave the office before she gets Albus sick as well. Minerva payed no attention to them, and busied herself with tidying up the desk before her. Really, it was a wonder anything got done in the school - Albus must be the most disorganized person under its roof.

Fawkes chose that moment to perch Minerva's shoulder and start pecking at her braid. She tried swatting the bird away, and he squawked at her in retaliation before continuing his quest to unravel her hair. _Stupid bird_ , she thought. Then she realized she was being stupid herself.

Two minutes later, she was chasing Fawkes around the office. She jumped onto the Sorting Hat's shelf, where Fawkes was sitting, and hissed. He immediately flew away. She followed, almost knocked the pensieve over, and Fawkes just missed getting caught in her claws before he flew out the window - no doubt to alert his master that there was an intruder in his office. _I should probably get out of here before Albus finds me_ , she thought. But the room was so warm, and she was getting sleepy after all the running. She supposed five minutes wouldn't hurt, and there was still about two hours until Breakfast anyway. She climbed back onto the shelf with the Sorting Hat, gently tipped it up with her paws, and settled herself underneath.

* * *

"If that is all, Remus, I believe you have a batch of fifth-year Ravenclaws waiting. You should probably hurry, as it is their OWL year and there may be nervous breakdowns if the class is cancelled."

Minerva woke up with a start, and blinked a few times, wondering why it was still dark if her eyes were open. And why was Albus in her room?

She sat up on her hind legs, and swatted the hat out of her face. It fell onto the floor with a _thud_. Both Professor Dumbledore and Remus - no, Professor Lupin - stared at her in surprise. "Professor Dumbledore, sir, may I ask when you got a cat? I don't remember you having one when I was at Hogwarts."

Albus chuckled, and said, "That's not actually a feline. Have you ever seen a cat sit so stiffly?"

Minerva jumped from her shelf, landed neatly on Albus's head and licked his forehead. Then, she jumped down and pranced out of the room. That should teach Albus not to insult her. She was a _fantastic_ cat, thank you very much.


End file.
